El Chorro, Andalusia

Not the most baby friendly climbing region, barring one notable exception

I might as well say it upfront: El Chorro is not the best place for a climbing trips with kids or babies. For this reason i've written a single page that covers the whole area.

By far the best baby or child friendly crag in the region was Valle de Abdalajis (80+ routes from 3c to 7b+) - it's definitely not at all suitable for buggies, but the walk in though steep is mercifully short (5mins) and once you're at the base of the crag there are flat areas big enough to establish a good base camp. You ought to be reasonably confident that smaller children can move about without the risk of big falls.

The two main crags in El Chorro - Frontales and Escalera Arabe - on the other hand, have fairly significant walk-ins and for the most part are set above steep banks. It's definitely not impossible to climb with a family at either of these crags; we managed with our then 8 month old by finding flat(ish) spots just big enough for his tent, or by keeping him in the sling and passing him to-and-fro while we took turns to climb. Luckily we were with a big super supportive group of friends so could tap in and out - definitely not ideal though!

Logistics

Parking: Free

Cost: Free

Walk in: 5-30 mins depending on crag and sector.

Grade range: Hundreds of routes across the full grade range

Baby friendly: **

Child friendly: **

Suitable for buggies: no. Use a sling or child carrier.

Guidebook: Spain: El Chorro Rockfax

Climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death.

Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

If an area is listed here as baby- or child- friendly it simply means that it is convenient, and does not mean the area is safe. Parents must make their own assessment of risk.